Vinyl acetate formation in the reaction of acetylene with acetic acid catalyzed by zinc acetate supported on porous carbon spheres

A kind of porous carbon spheres (PCS) was prepared by the carbonization of poly(vinylidene chloride) synthesized by suspension polymerization. Structure analyses revealed the existence of bumps and holes on the surface of PCS. The PCS, with the pore size between 0.8–1.2 nm, could be used as the support of zinc acetate because of the regular shape, high specific surface area, and good mechanical strength. Vinyl acetate was produced from acetylene and acetic acid using the PCS-supported zinc acetate (PCS-Zn) under mild conditions. In a single-pass operation performed at 220°C, the conversions of acetic acid and acetylene reached 22.6 and 5.3% respectively while the activity of vinyl acetate formation was above 1000 g mol⁻¹ h⁻¹.